I went to both Catholic elementary and high schools so my schooling may have been very different from those who were enrolled in public schools. Although I briefly attended a public middle school for approximately 3 months, I merely got a taste of what that type of schooling was like. I’m not sure how different private and public schooling may be, but I do know that my schooling had a key part in my becoming the person I am today.
Since I went to an elementary school that required payment aside from that of taxes, I was never really exposed to Cedric Jennings’ side of life (and by saying this I do NOT in any way mean that one who went to a public school grew up in an environment similar to Cedric’s home). My schooling resulted in my leading what one may call a “sheltered” life. It wasn’t as if the teachers or administration were trying to hide anything from us students, but most of us just never had experiences that helped us better understand what we were taught about the world. Poverty, starvation, and homelessness were brought up as topics numerous times (particularly in religion class) but many of us didn’t have actual experiences with or near these things so it was just like any other lesson.
If any wisdom is to be gained on a topic, it is through experience rather than observation. Obviously I can’t truly relate to Cedric Jennings or truly understand what he went through without having gone through the same type of experiences he had. Both my elementary and high schools were very supportive of students in the fields of both grades and extracurricular activities. In almost all cases, parents were contacted if a student began to do poorly in a class, and certain privileges (such as playing sports) would be taken away if his or her grades did not improve. No students had to be “bribed” to do better and we certainly weren’t left all on our own to do well in school.
Most of my friends came from the same type of homes that I did: Middle/Upper-Middle class, a few pets, parents still together, a few televisions, one or more computers, etc. I don’t remember going over one friend’s house whose family didn’t own a car, or a washer or dryer, or at least one computer and television. And I’m not saying that a person’s happiness or worth depends upon how nice the stuff around him or her is because that’s not how I feel at all. I’ve just never had the experience of visiting someone who was greatly struggling monetarily, and I feel as though one of the reasons for that was my school setting.
Also, having gone to a Catholic school, I was reprimanded not only for being disrespectful but for “sinning” as well. Things such as using the lord’s name in vain could be cause for punishment in my middle school whereas a public school teacher would rarely even notice. In a Catholic school, the rules are infused with Catholic morale (which can be very helpful to parents with a similar moral code). This way, certain principles set up by my parents were upheld during school time rather than being ignored and forgotten.
On the negative side, going to a Catholic school can sometimes restrict one from becoming who he or she truly is. Since the whole place is dedicated to Catholicism, in most cases you’ll only be seeing the Catholic side of things. Since there is no mix of religion and schooling in public schools, kids are able to determine their own moral code much easier than when the teachers are drilling Catholicism into their heads. This freedom may not always result in a better outcome, but it can invite new and more original ways of thinking to many.
I went to both Catholic elementary and high schools so my schooling may have been very different from those who were enrolled in public schools. Although I briefly attended a public middle school for approximately 3 months, I merely got a taste of what that type of schooling was like. I’m not sure how different private and public schooling may be, but I do know that my schooling had a key part in my becoming the person I am today.
Since I went to an elementary school that required payment aside from that of taxes, I was never really exposed to Cedric Jennings’ side of life (and by saying this I do NOT in any way mean that one who went to a public school grew up in an environment similar to Cedric’s home). My schooling resulted in my leading what one may call a “sheltered” life. It wasn’t as if the teachers or administration were trying to hide anything from us students, but most of us just never had experiences that helped us better understand what we were taught about the world. Poverty, starvation, and homelessness were brought up as topics numerous times (particularly in religion class) but many of us didn’t have actual experiences with or near these things so it was just like any other lesson.
If any wisdom is to be gained on a topic, it is through experience rather than observation. Obviously I can’t truly relate to Cedric Jennings or truly understand what he went through without having gone through the same type of experiences he had. Both my elementary and high schools were very supportive of students in the fields of both grades and extracurricular activities. In almost all cases, parents were contacted if a student began to do poorly in a class, and certain privileges (such as playing sports) would be taken away if his or her grades did not improve. No students had to be “bribed” to do better and we certainly weren’t left all on our own to do well in school.
Most of my friends came from the same type of homes that I did: Middle/Upper-Middle class, a few pets, parents still together, a few televisions, one or more computers, etc. I don’t remember going over one friend’s house whose family didn’t own a car, or a washer or dryer, or at least one computer and television. And I’m not saying that a person’s happiness or worth depends upon how nice the stuff around him or her is because that’s not how I feel at all. I’ve just never had the experience of visiting someone who was greatly struggling monetarily, and I feel as though one of the reasons for that was my school setting.
Also, having gone to a Catholic school, I was reprimanded not only for being disrespectful but for “sinning” as well. Things such as using the lord’s name in vain could be cause for punishment in my middle school whereas a public school teacher would rarely even notice. In a Catholic school, the rules are infused with Catholic morale (which can be very helpful to parents with a similar moral code). This way, certain principles set up by my parents were upheld during school time rather than being ignored and forgotten.
On the negative side, going to a Catholic school can sometimes restrict one from becoming who he or she truly is. Since the whole place is dedicated to Catholicism, in most cases you’ll only be seeing the Catholic side of things. Since there is no mix of religion and schooling in public schools, kids are able to determine their own moral code much easier than when the teachers are drilling Catholicism into their heads. This freedom may not always result in a better outcome, but it can invite new and more original ways of thinking to many.